University Trustees Discuss Likely Budget Cuts

March 10, 2004 at 9:21 PM CST - Updated June 26 at 4:14 PM

MARCH 10, 2004 - Posted at 4:18 p.m. CDT

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Nervous university trustees held a special meeting today to hear about likely cuts to state services and higher education to pay for court-ordered changes to the public school system.

State financial experts told the trustees the state general programs could lose as much as $200 million as a result.

A new law to meet the court order allows the state to take money out of prisons, public health programs, higher education and other agencies to support kindergarten through 12th grade schools.

State budget specialist Bill Goodman said the deficits would get worse.

A university official said legislators apparently didn't understand they were depending on $100 million in one-time funds when they revised the school funding formula.